“What could possibly go wrong?” “I can do it myself.” Are those lines from a horror movie or something we’ve heard a client say before? This season we tend to think of all the fake blood, glitter, candy corn and chocolate that can wreak havoc on floors and upholstery, and today we’re looking back at some of the cleaning horror stories we’ve experienced in the last few years. From a DIY carpet cleaning project gone wrong to some of the worst stains and damaged stone, here’s a look at some of the most gruesome messes we’ve seen, in case you need a little help getting into the Halloween spirit. And a friendly reminder that you should never be afraid to call a professional to avoid being haunted by these types of circumstances.
Carpet Cleaning
We’ll set the stage: The children returned from trick-or-treating, parents have checked and approved the candy for the gorge-fest, when suddenly those small, colorful chocolate bits are flying everywhere—including under furniture and all over the carpet. After cleaning up, mom and dad thought they found them all, only to find out a few days later that was not the case. Leftover candy crumbles have now been smooshed and melted into the carpet. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but then the fatal mistake: scrubbing that stain instead of blotting it caused the stain to seed deeper into the carpet fibers. When the DIY carpet cleaning didn’t cut it, Aladdin was called in for the rescue. Enter, our certified carpet cleaning technicians to exorcise those sticky, gritty and oily stains.
Floor Cleaning
In this story, our client was trying to do the right thing. Mopping up after the Halloween party seemed the simplest option after 15 kindergarteners had been running around all night. And who wouldn’t want to clean up quick and hit the sack after a night like that, right? The problem here was our client opted to mop their hardwood floor with a wet mop…forgetting that wood floors are porous, which means they absorb and hold moisture. So, what happens when there’s too much water? Those clean floorboards begin to swell, and by the next morning they got a chilling surprise… their floor boards had moved and warped into a monstrous disaster. Luckily, our team was able to come in and dehumidify to dry out the floors quickly and salvage the floors before there was lasting damage.
Stone Cleaning
It’s frightening when all you were trying to do is clean the marble shower and vanity in your bathroom, only to see that the chemicals you used corroded the sealant on the marble and left dull spots behind. Many don’t realize this, but most common household cleaners will damage marble, including lots of “brand-name” cleaners. Too much alkaline or acidity is too harsh for marble. Good thing Aladdin is known for restoring hard surfaces back to their original beauty and can help prevent that scary situation from occurring again with the proper application of sealants after restoration.
Rug Cleaning
When your favorite but ghoulish pet has an accident on your beautiful oriental or vintage rug, your immediate reaction is to spot treat it as you would a carpet. However, methods used on your carpet are not enough when it comes to cleaning rugs. And doing so can cause the colors to bleed and often enough, the stain will continue to reappear like a ghost that just won’t leave its haunting grounds. With oriental and vintage rugs being such an investment, save time and long-term damage by calling on Aladdin’s certified rug specialists to safely remove embedded soils.
There are some things that are just as satisfying as they are disgusting, and these before-and-after images and videos of carpet cleaning, floor cleaning, rug cleaning and stone restoration are some of our favorites. Moral of the story is, you don’t have to brave it alone. Call Aladdin Cleaning & Restoration for all of your floor cleaning and residential cleaning needs.